Breakthrough Ventures launches $2M accelerator for student founders

On Monday, Stanford University master’s candidate Itbaan Nafi and co-founder Roman Scott announced that they have raised $2 million for an accelerator program called Breakthrough Ventures. The program aims to fund businesses founded by college students and recent graduates nationwide. The co-founders began building the accelerator after hosting a series of Demo Days—events where startups pitch to investors—at Stanford starting in 2024. They decided to expand the initiative after participating students achieved success. The fundraise draws backing from venture capital firms Mayfield and Collide Capital to support student-led companies. To help run the program, the co-founders tapped Raihan Ahmed to lead the accelerator last year.

The accelerator operates under a hybrid model, combining virtual programming with in-person meetups at local venture capital firms, culminating in a final pitch event at Stanford. The program offers participants a structured suite of resources:

• Grant funding of up to $10,000.
• Compute credits—which provide subsidized access to cloud computing resources—through Microsoft and the Nvidia Inception program.
• Legal support and mentorship.
• The opportunity to receive a $50,000 follow-on investment at the conclusion of the program.

The co-founders hope to deploy the $2 million fund over three years, aiming to incubate at least 100 companies. Scott, who received his undergraduate degree from Stanford in 2024 and earned a master’s degree there the following year, described the accelerator as an initiative built by student founders specifically to serve other student founders. He explained that the program’s purpose is to address the funding and opportunity gap in these ecosystems, noting that students have historically lacked the capital and networks required to launch businesses. Nafi noted that students have enjoyed how the program brings together peers from different American colleges. “This fundraise turns Breakthrough from just being a seasonal accelerator into a lifelong partnership with our founders,” said Nafi, who is a master’s candidate at Stanford. He expressed hope that supporting young entrepreneurs will uplift stories to inspire others across the world to use the tools and knowledge around them to pursue entrepreneurship, helping them change their communities and gain economic stability.

Why it matters

Breakthrough Ventures aims to fill the funding and opportunity gap for student founders by providing a hybrid accelerator model that includes grant funding, mentorship, and follow-on investment.